The Leadership Challenge: New Forms and Thinking in Leadership Development

Nicholas ClarkeUniversity of Southampton Business School

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Differences Between the Leadership we Have and the Leadership we Need

Three Major ChallengesCapacityContextCrisis

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Capacity1997 US Fortune 500 survey: 85% of organizations

lacked quality and quantity of leadership talent.

ASTD (2012) Bridging the Skills Gap

Dept BIS (2012) 75% of organisations in England reported a deficit of leadership skills

PwC (2014) Report HR Directors in Ireland – Shortage of Management Talent

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Context4

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Crisis

What are we currently Doing?

Leadership Development LiteratureLeadership Development Practice

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Differences Between the Leadership we Have and the Leadership we Need

(1) Significant limitations with the literature on Leadership Development

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ASSESSMENTSINDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK

GROUPFEEDBACK

DEVELOPMENTAND

ONGOINGPERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Performance Management: Aligning and developing leader competencies and skills to enhance overall capabilities in

achieving individual and organizational goals.

“Leader Development Experience”

What’s wrong with the traditional model?

Argument: Much of the writing on Leadership Development is largely unitarist and universalist

Yet1.The notion of Leadership is contested and

operates at different levels2.Leadership is culturally informed3.Resource-Based View of the Firm4.Heroic leader idea of leadership

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Differences Between the Leadership we Have and the Leadership we Need

(2) What about Leadership Development Practice

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Clarke & Higgs (in press Human Resource Management US)

How does the pattern of formal leadership training and development differ across organisations?

What factors account for the pattern of formal leadership training and development practices that can be found?

Multi-level perspective Large organisations (>5000 employees) Significant budgets (>250K) 10 organisations (1) The Police service, (2) Health service, (3)

Local government, (4) Higher education; (5) Risk management, (6) Telecommunications; (7) The Third Sector (8) The Anglican Ministry; (9) Cultural Industries and (10) Social Care.

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The Strategic Context: 3 cases

12Leadership Academy  

Risk management Although initially establishing itself as a dominant player in the marine industry, growth in other business sectors was forecast that would see a doubling of profit within four years to reach £1.5 billion. LTD was seen as a playing a chief role in driving through the new growth strategy. This needed a focus on the leadership skills needed to manage change and to improve performance of staff. Employing approximately 8,500 staff globally, the organization has examined all job grades to identify the leadership skills necessary for that level, and put staff through an assessment center to establish leadership skills and allocate training where skill deficits are identified.

Telecommunications The company strategy is to drive broad-band based consumer services and be the network provider of choice. The European Union (EU) has a significant influence on the policy and regulatory environment with EU legislation affecting areas such as fibre access, spectrum, net neutrality, and Green ICT. The European Commission’s “Digital Agenda” initiative emphasizes ICT and telecoms as central to Europe’s economic growth and recovery. The LTD strategy is to equip leaders with the skills needed to implement projects, identify problems, and provide strategic solutions that align company and business unit goals.

 

Health service The overarching strategic aim of the academy is to continuously improve the quality and safety of heath care in the United Kingdom. LTD delivery is directed toward working at every level of the health care system to develop the technical skills, leadership, capacity, knowledge and the will for change, that are seen as key to real and lasting improvement. The LTD strategy is chiefly concerned with enabling leadership to drive quality improvement and innovation.

  Risk Telecommunications Health

Strategic Focus 1. Individual: Career Pathway2. Organisational: Performance

1. Organizational: Performance/Transformation2. Community: Social Gain and Customer Relationship

1. Sector: System Change

2. Community: Health Gain

Major Products and Services

1. Training Programmes for (i) First line managers (ii) Middle managers(iii) Senior managers2. Assessment Centres

Training Programs for (a) Inspirational Leadership: First/Second line managers(b) Vital Vision: CEOs from across the public sector

1. Leadership Development through Quality Improvement in Health (OD) (18)

2. Training Programs

3. Fellowship Program

Training/Development Content

Specified & Responsive

1. Specified 2. Specified and responsive

1. Combination of specified & emergent

2. Specified

3. Participant directed

Behavioural Framework

Yes No No

Participation Criteria

Mandatory 1. Mandatory2. Voluntary/By invitation

1. Targeted and invited

2. Voluntary subject to interview and criteria

What Values underpin Leadership Training and Development

1. Personal integrity 2. Credibility3. Passion for new

1. Trust (integrity)*2. Integrity (backbone)*3. Authenticity (sensing)

1. People can change

2. Passion for quality

3. Discovery

Leadership Transformational Transformational Complexity

LTD DELIVERY

Behavioral Learning Participation Framework Philosophy Criteria

LTD GOALS

LEADERSHIPPHILOSOPHY

Individual

Organizational

Sectoral

Community

Yes

Yes

Yes/No

No

Specified

Specified/ Responsive

Specified/ Responsive

Emergent

Mandatory

Mandatory/Voluntary

Voluntary /Targeted

Voluntary /Targeted

STRATEGIC FOCUS OF LTD

BUSINESSGOALS

LEVELS OF IMPACT

A Contingency Model of Leadership Training & Development

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Insights

There is some evidence that leadership development is contextual – but this is determined by level of impact: More nuanced ideas of adding value are less developed

Leadership development in some organisations remains underpinned by a heroic leadership model.

How leadership development can be used to address social responsibility issues remains as yet unexplored.

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What we need to do

differently

Leadership Development- A New Agenda

What do we need to do differently:CIPD (2012) Next Generation HR

Balanced Between the Needs of Today and Tomorrow: Sustainability

A more focused role on integrity and trustworthiness and social contribution

How HR Keeps Organisations Agile and Adapting

Business Driven and Unique to the Context: Drive Value Through Business Insight

4.

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Shared Leadership Development

•Tteam cohesion•Information and knowledge exchange•Collaborative problem solving•Conflict Management

1. Formal Leader Behaviours 2. Team Member Behaviours3. Individual leadership schemas

8. Communication patterns9. Decision making processes10. Team affective climate

1. Learning/ Innovative Culture2. Ambiguity and Complexity3. Empowerment4. Political context5. Disruptive events

5.\team dynamics6. Social support7. Voice

Shared Leadership1. Emergent groups working on adaptation 2. Self organised problem solving

Team Intermediate Outcomes 1. Adaptive performance 2. Collective efficacy 3. Satisfaction

Individual Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours and Schemas

Internal Team Context

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What is Value for Leadership Development ?

Best HR Practices help almost every business…

HR Practice Bottom 10%

Top 10%

No. of training hrs. for new employees

35 117

Percentage of employees receiving a performance appraisal

41% 95%

No. of employees per HR professional

254 140

Percentage hired based on a validated selection test

4% 30%

From Huselid et al., 2000, AMJ

Firm Brand: This organisation is known for

Leadership Brand: Leaders here are known for:

Walmart Always low prices Managing costs efficiently, getting things done on time

FedEx Doing whatever it takes Managing logistics, Meeting deadlines, solving problems quickly

Lexus Pursuing Perfection Managing quality processes for continuous improvement

Procter & Gamble Brands you know and trust Developing consumer insights, product innovation

McKinsey CEOs trusted adviser Leading teams that deconstruct business problems and develop solutions

Boeing People working together for aerospace leadership

Working as teams, possessing technical excellence

Apple Innovation and Design Creating new products that break industry norms

Bon Secours Health Good Help to those in need Business Skills with compassion and caring

PepsiCo Appealing to the younger generation

Building the next generation of talent

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HR architecture as a strategic asset

•Goal of corporate strategy: create sustained competitive advantage.•Goal of HR strategy: maximize the contribution of HR towards that same goal.

HR FUNCTION

HR professionals with strategic competencies

(delivery of HR services in a way that supports the implementation of the firm’s strategy

HR SYSTEM

High-performance, strategically aligned and integrated HR policies & practices

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIORS

Strategically focused competencies, motivations, and associated behaviors

HR ARCHITECTURE

Level Summative Criteria Formative Criteria Example LTD Approaches

INDIVIDUALLeader

1. Leader Knowledge, Skills and Behaviors (Cognitive Skills, Business Skills, Strategic Skills, Social SkillsEmotional Skills2. Leader Self-Awareness3. Leader Effectiveness

1. Leader characteristics (Developmental Readiness, Opportunities and Motivation to Lead, Motivation to Perform)2. Transfer climate3. Job Developmental Challenge (Working across boundaries, Unfamiliar responsibilities, High level responsibilityCreating change, Managing diversityAccess to feedback)

1.. 360 degree feedback2. Action learning3. Coaching4. Mentoring5. Job assignments and projects6. Self-development activities7. Leadership training8. Questionnaires and Surveys

INDIVIDUALFollower

1. Follower Outcomes (Attitudes and Performance)

1. Follower Implicit Leadership Theories

1. Training for followers2. Training for leaders and followers together.3. Socialisation practices

LEADER-FOLLOWER 1. Leader-Follower Bonding Social Capital

1. Leader-Follower Relationship Quality (Affect, Contribution, Loyalty, Respect)

Same as for Individual Leader and Individual Follower above

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Level Summative Criteria Formative Criteria Example LTD Approaches

TEAM 1.Team Effectiveness (eg team climate, team dynamics)2. Team Performance3. Team Bonding Social Capital

1.Team Leadership Processes (Maintenance of team mental models, Monitoring the internal and external environment, Behavioral and performance expectations, Task-focused and Person-focused team behaviors).2. Team Leader Behaviors (Relational leader behaviors, Citizenship behaviors, Social and Emotional behaviors)

1. Team training and development activities.2. Team leader training and development3. Transactive memory training4. Team projects and assignments5. Team building activities

ORGANIZATIONAL 1. Organizational Performance and Effectiveness (Efficiency, Human Capital and Adaptation to environment)2. Organizational Bridging Social Capital

1. Leadership Culture2. Indices of Connectivity (eg network collaboration, trust and growth)

1. Same as for Individual Leader above2. Organizational Visioning exercises.3. Organization Development 4. Strategic planning exercises5. Change Management projects 6. Leader planning meetings

COMMUNITY 1. Community Social Capital 1. Integrative Leader Behaviors2. Shared Leadership3. Inter-organizational Learning Capability

1. Same as for Individual leader above.2. Inter-organizational development activities (eg search conferences24

Finally…

How Do You Differentiate Your Leadership and the HRD processes that support it?

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